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Thursday, August 09, 2012

Thirteen Individuals Indicted for Drug Trafficking in Jackson and Shannon County

Part
of Operation Eagle Eye

United States Attorney Brendan V.
Johnson announced that 13 individuals have been indicted by a federal grand
jury for drug conspiracy and distribution offenses alleged to have occurred in
Jackson County and Shannon County at various times October 2008 through July
2012.

The charges are a result of Operation
Eagle Eye, a controlled substances investigation conducted by the Northern
Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, whose member agencies include
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the South
Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the
Pierre Police Department, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe-Department of Public
Safety. In addition to task force members, other agencies assisting in the
arrests were the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the
Martin Police Department; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Drug Enforcement
Administration; and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

The individuals charged include the
following:

■Anita Lucine Brown, 58, of Wanblee—charged
with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. If convicted, Brown could
face a maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, or both.

■Reed Thomas Brown, Jr., a/k/a “Baby
Reed,” 37, of Wanblee—charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute
marijuana. If convicted, Brown could face a maximum sentence of 40 years’
imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, or both.

■Clifford Wayne Richards, Jr., a/k/a “Beaver,”
56, of Wanblee—charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and
three counts of distribution of marijuana. If convicted of conspiracy to
distribute marijuana, Richards could face a maximum sentence of 40 years’
imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, or both. If convicted of marijuana
distribution, Richards could face a maximum sentence of five years’
imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both.

■Gerald Baker, Sr., 27, of Interior—charged
with one count of distributing marijuana in a school zone. In convicted, Baker
could face a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or
both.

■Casey Bettelyoun, 31, of Wanblee—charged
with one count of distributing a substance or mixture containing
methamphetamine in a school zone. If convicted, Bettelyoun could face a maximum
sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, or both.

■Roger Bettelyoun, 56, of Wanblee—charged
with four counts of distributing marijuana. If convicted, Bettelyoun could face
a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both.

■Royce Gone, 32, of Wanblee—charged with
one count of distributing marijuana in a school zone. If convicted, Gone could
face a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both.

■Jordan Long Soldier, 40, of Wanblee—charged
with two counts of distributing marijuana. If convicted, Long Solider could
face a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or
both.

■Angel Provincial, 22, of Wanblee—charged
with one count of conspiracy to distribute a mixture and substance containing
methamphetamine. If convicted, Provincial could face a maximum sentence of 20
years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both.

■Robert Provincial, 32, of Wanblee—charged
with one count of conspiracy to distribute a mixture and substance containing
methamphetamine. If convicted, Provincial could face a maximum sentence of 20
years’ imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both.

■Howard Red Elk, 45, of Wanblee—charged
with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in public housing. If
convicted, Red Elk could face a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a
$500,000 fine, or both.

■Tyson Red Elk, 22, of Wanblee—charged with
one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in public housing. If
convicted, Red Elk could face a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a
$500,000 fine, or both.

■Virgil Red Elk, 30, of Wanblee—charged
with one count of distributing marijuana. If convicted, Red Elk could face a
maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both.

No further details regarding the cases
will be available until the individuals have appeared in federal court. The
charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and all the
individuals named in the indictment are presumed innocent unless and until they
are proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by
Assistant United States Attorney Ted McBride.